"Hello! Anyone there?'' I banged against the door till my fist hurt.
"How may we help you, miss Elara?'' Someone asked as the door was opened. I almost wanted to look around, wondering who he was talking to. They regarded me with respect. Like I was a person and not a slave. But why did I feel like I was still a slave here?
my life back in our pack had been horrible. And I had lost everything when I rejected Alpha Gale's demeaning offer to become his slave. Yet, right now, I can't help but wonder whether my fate has turned out any differently.
I had ended uo a slave, only for a different man. A more powerful man. A man whose natural instinct was to kill.
"I would like to go now. I'm not staying in this room anymore." I stated firmly.
"Im sorry, but the king has demanded that no one lets you out of this room. If you need anything, it will be provided to you, how.."
"I don't care what the Lycan King has said.'' I shouted as I met the man's eyes. "I do not want t be here anymore.''
He continued to stand there, acting all confused. I hated that I was made to stay here. I wanted to be free.
"What orders did Lucas give you?'' I asked, making sure that I specifically referred to him by his first name and not his title. Over the years, the history and nature of lycans was taught to us. They made us see them as aliens. things that didn't belong in our world. One of the ugly things about the way the lycan's live their life, was how they looked down on and belittled their women. Allowed to only be mothers and nothing else. the errors had changed, and now, only one man remained as a lycan. And he was my mate.
In his pack, I had noticed that there were female warriors, which would mean that someone had broken the chains and allowed women to make their own decisions and redefine themselves in something other than their gender.
But what about a mate? Did Lucas still hold the same belief for mates as his forefathers did? What would happen now that he believed the child I carried was not his.
"Elara.'' the hoarse voice sounded in the vicinity as he entered the room, appearing out of nowhere. the guard, who I had been talking to, bowed his head respectfully before retracting outside the room, and shutting the door.
"How did you get in?'' I asked, resting my head against the door as my back was him. I understood that no matter how much I banged that door, he wasn't going to open unless Lucas gave the order.
"That's not of importance.'' he answered vaguely. "is there anything else you need?'' his question was blunt.
"I need to get out of here.'' I let out as I turned to look at him.
"You and I know that's not going to happen.'' he laughs. He slowly begins to walk towards me, making me take a step back.
"Stay back Lucas.'' I warned, as I raised my fist.
"Already on a first name basis are we.'' he let out. "I like it, though it would sound better if you were moaning and screaming my name in pleasure. ''
He continues approaching me, placing his hands on his back as he moves. He looks smocking hot. For some reason, he does not need to do much for him to be attractive. I feel as if my whole body is calling out to him. needing him to touch me. to kiss me. to...
"Tell me Elara,'' he speaks in an amused tone. "For how long do you think you'll be able to resist your desires.''
His movements, though slow, seem significant when he is finally in front of me. And I, cornered and pushed against the door, can do nothing but try to talk my way out of this.
“Please just let me go. You don't want me as a mate, I get…”
He smashes his lips in mine as he kisses me with such a passion I believe never existed. His fingers fold around my throat authoritatively, squeezly almost too tightly. His kiss was demanding, he pushed me against the door as he forced his tongue into my mouth, gaining a moan from me.
“Don’t you ever…” He whispered against my lips as he stared at my mouth. He bit his bottom lip sexily before kissing me again, with more lethal passion. His lips burn against mine, making me truly understand how hollow and empty my life has been without him.
“Don’t you ever think i don't want you.’’ He states in an authoritative voice, with darker eyes and an intimidating demeanor. It doesn't take me long to realize that this was his lycan talking.
“I just thought tha…”
“You are mine, Elara Moore. As stubborn as you are to admit that. YOU ARE MINE.’’
He brings himself toward my neck, his hot breath fans my sensitive skin, causing me to wiggle in his arms.
“Don’t mark me yet,’’ I let out in a shrieked voice.
I felt his lips on my neck, kissing and nibbling a spot, making my legs give out. Was it really this easy to get me weak?
“Oh kitten, when I mark you, I’ll be one with your body. My cock will sink so deeply into you, you’ll be afraid it’s gonna split you. Your nails will scratch my back, begging, pleading me to go faster. You will want me, and there is not a thing in this god-forsaken world that will stop me from giving you the pleasure you truly deserve.’’
He looked into my eyes with so much intensity that I could feel the meaning and reality of his words to my very core. I instinctively clenched my thighs, afraid of the rushing feeling brought about now just by his words, but by his touch. The way he looked at me, and the way he effortlessly held me against the door.
“Were you being truthful?’’ I let out, my body still pinned against the door and my legs around his waist. “Have you really been waiting for me for four hundred and seventy one years?’’
The question is something I'd been wondering about for a while now.
“Everything I tell you is always the plain truth. I don’t lie. Not to you. Not to my mate.’’
His words sunk into me, resting between us.
“Having waited for over 400 years for a mate, had you given up hope?’’ I asked him, careful with my words. He remained quiet for a moment, he gazed into my eyes, seeming lost.
“Yes.’’
“What did the high priestess say? Did she tell you that I did not exist?’’ I asked, running my fingers over his broad shoulders, loving the way he shut his eyes and took in my actions. I loved it this way. His body close to mine, his arms around. The way he helped me up effortlessly.
“The high priestess believed that you would one day exist. But as time stretched, and two centuries were gone, I was still searching. She died. The woman you met yesterday is just a descendant. Unlike any normal wolf, a high priestess only lives about a century and a half, that one, had been graced with two centuries. The high priestess now understands that my inability to bear children comes as a curse for the grave mistake my father and I committed. However, for a moment, she was convinced that I was mated to no one. That this was also a punishment from the moon goddess for the monster i am.’’
He remained silent, the words floating in the air seemed rather detailed, unlike how avoidant he had been. The truth is, that I had judged him too quickly. Not about his arrogance or dismissal of my decisions, that was evident. But his honesty.
“So you had lost hope. And you believed that you would never find your mate. That you did not have a mate to begin with.’’
“Yes.
“When did you know we were mates? I found out the second time we met,”
“The first time.’’ He answers in a heartbeat. “I knew who you were before you walked into the bar. I felt you miles away. I felt your heartbeat. Your breathing.’’
He stares into my eyes, making me feel like he was truly the whole world to me. He was my mate. But I hated how he treated me sometimes.
“Then Lucas,” I said, looking back into his eyes. “After living more than 200 years believing you did not have a mate, then finding one. Is it not also possible that the child in my womb is yours, and not another man’s?’’
He paused, he fell silent and his beast took over.
Lucas's POVThe infirmary reeked of burnt flesh and medicinal herbs. Aurelio lay on one of the beds, his skin covered in red welts - the kind only magic could create. My mother was in a similar condition in the next room. She hadn’t woken up in days, no matter all the doctor’s attempts. According to Aurelio, who’d been knocked unconscious when my mother attacked my mate, someone intervened. A wolf who protected Elara from my mom. Whoever they were, they were Amaris. While I was relieved that Elara was protected, I wondered what Amaris was planning.Aurelio was awake now, having come back from Matthew pack where I’d sent him to rescue Sabrina. I sat beside my beta, discussing our next moves when Elara walked in.She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Aurelio. "What happened to you?"Aurelio tried to sit up, wincing with every movement. "I found Sabrina in Matthew's basement. When I tried to get her out..." He paused, fighting through obvious pain. "You mom and aunt were waiting.
Lucas' POV"We have to do something.'' I spat, resisting the urge to slam the doctor's head into the wall. She was being useless. "Alpha, something happened. All the tests barely show any signs of life in Elara's body, it's as if only the baby lives.'' I growled, hands snapping around the doctor's neck before I could stop myself. I picked her up, slamming her back against the wall so hard she blacked out. "Son, we need to talk.'' My father was standing across the doorway, that smug expression on his face. "I don't have the time for your nonsense,''"It's about your sister.'' He says. My shoulders drop, a chill runs down my spine. "Joseph,'' I called out to the guard standing outside the door. Take the doctor to the infirmary. When she wakes up, let her know that how long she lives is determined by how well she treats my mate.'' Joseph nodded, dragging the doctor out. It had been one day since I sent Aurelio back into Matthew's to save my sister. "What happened?'''"Your incom
Lucas' POVBefore Elara, I was untouchable. Cold. Ruthless. An alpha who ruled through fear and power. I killed without remorse, led without mercy. My wolf was a beast even I could barely control. Then she walked into my life, a girl who somehow believed so low of herself. How could I have known that a broken little wolf would patch up my broken pieces. Without the usual muscle and skill that appeals to the Lycan race, she proved stronger than anyone I’ve ever known. Perfect than any woman I’ve ever met. She came in with her quiet strength, and somehow the walls I'd built over centuries began to crack.She taught me how to love. More terrifying – she taught me how to accept love. For the first time in my existence, I learned what it meant to care for someone more than power, more than control, more than my own life. And what did I do with that gift? I destroyed it.The day I rejected her, something broke inside me. I watched the light die in her eyes as I spat those cruel words at her
Lucas's POVAurelio's scent hit me before his voice pierced through the mindlink. "Alpha!" His cry sent pain shooting through my head. Something was wrong. That cry held too much distress."What happened? Is Elara okay?" I'd sent my beta out the same day I sent Elara away. I needed someone I trusted watching her at all times. While I handled the threats in my pack, my mate still needed to stay safe."Please, come. Elara, she's... at the gates." The mindlink broke before he could finish. I sprinted out of the war room, leaving my commanders confused as I ran toward the gates of my pack.There, at the gate, lay the most precious thing in my life. My mate. But she wasn't breathing. She wasn't moving.FLASHBACK - BATTLE IN THE WITCH VILLAGEI was about to kill Matthew when a gush of pure burning magic hit him. The magic seared his skin but didn't burn him like it burned the Lycan caught in the crossfire. At the entrance stood Elara's mom."Where's my daughter?" Elara's mom asked."She's
Elara's POV"Something's wrong," I gasped, doubling over. The pain felt like molten lead in my veins. "We need to stop."My mother touched my forehead with cool fingers. "It's perfectly normal, sweetheart. Pregnant women often experience this." "What? No. I've never felt...This isn't - this is different." I clutched my stomach. "It feels like I'm being torn apart.""That's Amaris," Aunt Isabella said, arranging clay bowls in a circle. Dark liquid bubbled inside them. "She's trying to manipulate you."I stared at the bowls. "Is that blood? Where did you get- Is that someone’s blood? Oh Godess! What did you do?""Don't focus on that now," my mother interrupted, guiding me toward the center of their ritual space. Cedar and sage smoke coiled around us, and bundles of dried herbs - nightshade, wolfsbane, belladonna - hung from black iron hooks.The pain intensified. "Please," I whispered. "Something isn't right.""Matthew," my aunt called sharply. "Hold her still."His hands gripped my sh
Elara’s POV"We want to make this right," my mother begs. "Let us help you."I cross my arms. "There’s nothing you can do to erase years of pain and suffering.”"We can free you from Amaris," Aunt Isabella cuts in. "A ritual to expel her spirit completely."I look at them, breathless for a moment. If Amaris was gone, I could feel my wolf again. I wouldn’t be worried about my baby. I could go back to Lucas, given I won’t be worried about Amaris taking over and hurting him. I’d be free. I study their faces, looking for any sign of deception. "Just like that? You want to help me after admitting you orchestrated my entire life?""It's the least we can do," Matthew says. "Let us try to fix what we broke."My mother steps forward. "Please, Elara. Let this be our apology."I consider their offer. Part of me wants to refuse anything they suggest, but another part... "Fine," I say finally. "Do it.""We'll need time to prepare the ritual grounds," Aunt Isabella says. Hesitant, I ease up. "Fin